New Scientist


Vibrating mattress helps clear Alzheimer’s protein from the brain

Tue, 03 Nov 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Lying on a vibrating mattress for 40 minutes, combined with taking two pills that release nitric oxide into the body, enhanced the clearance of an Alzheimer's-related protein via the brain's waste-disposal system


Boiling frog syndrome is often called a myth – but is it?

Tue, 03 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000

There is a popular metaphor that says frogs will boil to death if their environment warms so slowly they don’t notice. Scientifically, it is considered a myth, but columnist James Woodford finds evidence to the contrary in his own backyard


Inca children were drugged before being sacrificed

Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:01:00 +0000

Analysis of the hair and fingernails of eight mummified Inca children reveals that they were given cocaine and alcohol prior to being sacrificed high on Andean mountain peaks


Dinosaur red blood cells recovered from 115-million-year-old fossil

Mon, 02 Nov 2026 20:00:00 +0000

A bit of leg bone from an Aratasaurus dinosaur fossil collected in Brazil has preserved abundant 3D red blood cells in stunning detail


Zapping part of the brain makes you think harder – at a cost

Mon, 02 Nov 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Stimulating a part of the brain linked to mental effort boosts performance in demanding tasks, but also leads to greater mental fatigue afterwards


We are finally pinning down what makes dyslexic brains different

Mon, 02 Nov 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Humans never evolved to read and write, and around 10 per cent of us are dyslexic. Now, we are uncovering the pathways underlying the condition, opening up new ways to support people who struggle to read 


COP31: Will this year’s climate summit be the most underwhelming ever?

Mon, 02 Nov 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Despite coming after a year of dangerous weather and signs that global warming is accelerating, COP31 is unlikely to deliver dramatic progress on climate action


Curiosity may be what drives our brains to become so complex

Mon, 02 Nov 2026 11:33:43 +0000

We often think that our ability to be curious stems from our complex, human brain – but what if curiosity shapes that complexity?


The best new popular-science books of November 2026

Mon, 02 Nov 2026 11:00:00 +0000

From a “modern bestiary” by Richard Dawkins to a book co-authored by Robert Macfarlane and an Ecuadorian cloud forest, there are plenty of exciting new popular-science books out this month, says Liz Else


The scientific truth about collagen supplements

Mon, 02 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Your body uses collagen to give your skin strength and elasticity, so supplements of this protein seem to make sense to reduce wrinkles. But columnist Alice Klein finds it isn’t this simple